This is Dick Sederquist with my 119th BLOG and eleventh PODCAST called “The Gift”. You can read the printed version here on my BLOG or listen to the audio version on my PODCAST or at “Reflections and Stories Along the Way” on iTunes. A friend of mine, Frank, recently passed away. I consider him one of my heroes because he persisted in spite of extreme adversity. Most of all, he helped others suffering from his same affliction. This is my tribute to him. He is the older gentleman in this story I wrote several years ago. In addition to service to his country, his local town and municipal water and sewage treatment district, Frank also ran a local political blog and served as a Town Constable and Justice of the Peace. He volunteered all over the state giving talks to school children about the dangers of smoking and taught and assisted new victims of his affliction on the use of artificial speech devices.” Here is my story, called “The Gift” about Frank and his new friend.